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Mainline Rescue
Log Title: Mainline Rescue Characters: Dealiticus, Fireclaw, Flashfire, Mainline, Manticide, Phobia, Shred, Underfoot Location: Quintesson Science Vessel Inquisito Date: August 06, 2017 TP: The Gathering Swarm TP Summary: The Swarm pay the Quintessons a visit. Category:2017 Category:Logs Category:The Gathering Swarm TP As logged by Dealiticus - Sunday, August 06, 2017, 9:02 PM Quintesson Science Vessel Inquisito The Quintesson Science Vessel Inquisito has been drifting through the stars, tasked with creating new instruments of destruction. The Quintessons aboard keep their slaves busy. The smart ones put their skills and knowledge to good use. The ones that can't be used for research are used as test subjects. Today is fairly ordinary, as things go - no special visitors, no rushed deadlines... just a typical day at the office, with absolutely nothing unusual going on. Mainline continues to be the ideal prisoner, looking intently at some of the test subjects and recording their stress levels to the Quintisson torments. She looks on dispassionately and logs the records to perfection. The Inquisito isn't Deal's ship, but the Quintesson dealmaker can't resist a good scientific experiment. The evil Faberge egg hovers around the ship, checking in on the various subjects and making some recordings of his own. Ah, scientific pursuit -- if only the duties of spying on Earth -- rather, acting as a humble innocent shopkeeper -- didn't take him away from the lab so often. Underfoot is with Flashfire in the control room of the Swarm's commandeered Autobot freighter. With no cargo compartment to tow, the ACS Conrad was able to support a lot of 'after-market' armor and weapons upgrades. The ship is still in hyperspace, moving quickly toward their destination. It took a lot of work, bribery, and threats to get this location. They've only got one shot, and Underfoot is very determined not to waste it. He clicks on the ship-wide intercom, "We'll be dropping out of hyperspace in ten minutes. Fireclaw, is the assault team ready?" "We're ready, commander," Fireclaw replies, MP-205 Assault Rifle in hand. His face may be smooth and emotionless, but his optics broil with barely-contained fury. His entire body is a coiled spring, ready to be unleashed upon any unfortunately Quintesson unlucky enough to get between him and his captured comrade. "When we're through with them, the entire ship is going to smell like burnt calamari." Underfoot smiles tightly, "Excellent. Keep collateral damage to a minimum, though... target only the Quintesson forces. I have plans for their vessel..." He checks the Conrad's readouts, "Manticide, Phobia, your job is to disable the ship's systems. Leave it dead in the water." Fireclaw's optics narrow, but he responds only with, "Yes, Commander." Silently he starts switching out his ammunition, swapping loads that will punch through walls with incendiary rounds that will roast Quintessons alive but leave their ship relatively unharmed. He glances back at his troops, most of which are more accustomed to arena combat than ship-to-ship incursions. Oh, well. No better way to learn than on the job. Mainline looks down at one of the test subjects. She takes some observations, and quickly uploads them to the centralized database. The unfortunate Autobot pleads "Please...just...end my life..." She taps in some readings and says coldly "Nope." Meanwhile, thus-far blissfully unaware of the impending attack, Dealiticus looks in on Mainline. "You, there," Deal hisses. "What are you doing?" Dealiticus flails his tentacles threateningly. Usually he has to play the role of unctuous shopkeeper. It's rare he gets to throw his weight around with captives and scientific subjects. One of Deal's faces focuses on Mainline while the other examines the Autobot prisoner. Mainline backs up, Deal...one of the biggest pain in the afts she has to deal with. But keep things civil, she keeps thinking. "Nothing...he was pleading for his life, I said 'no, I will not grant him mercy.'" She shows Deal her datapad, "I've logged all of his readings. I was just about to move to the next subject." Underfoot glances to Flashfire, "Stay with the Conrad and defend it. If this operation turns against us, we'll need it to escape." He rises from the co-pilot seat, his optics reflecting coldly in the forward viewport, "I don't expect that will be the case, though." He turns and heads down to join the rest of the assault team. Dealiticus bobs on his hoverbeam. "Excellent," he says, shifting faces to give her a fanged smile. He takes a moment to access the Inquisito's database, verifying her upload. "Continue," he says, and floats after her. Apparently he has nothing better to do than hang around and be a pest while she works. Out in the hall, Shred stares dumbly at the wall. ;Shred :A dim-looking Sharkticon. Mainline slowly clutches her fist, liking nothing to smash every one of Dealitcus' garish teeth, but she quickly loosens her fist and taps open a new window for the next subject. "Thank you..." she bows subserviently to Dealticus. There's a blur of psudomotion in space near the Inquisito as the Conrad drops out of hyperspace. The bow of the ship sports a new arrowhead of solid armor, flanked by missile launchers. The Conrad has dropped into normalspace at full speed and opens fire, missiles streaking toward what appears to be a docking port. Underfoot grabs an elongated cylinder from a locker and places it into his back-rack before stepping up beside Fireclaw. He turns to regard Fireclaw, "Let's get our sister back." Alarms quickly fill the Quintisson ship. Without knowing who's there, Mainline's eyes widen with elated joy. She FEELS the presence of her comrades. In almost a psychotically gleeful tone, she says breathlessly "It's starting!" "And burn these spawns of glitches to death," Fireclaw finishes with a glower, and prepares to board as soon as the Conrad docks. He chambers an incendiary round into his MP-205 Assault Rifle. All ten of Dealiticus's optics widen in unpleasant surprise at the alarms. The face closest to Mainline then scowls. "What's starting?" As his tentacles flail in agitation, another face yells, "Shred! Protect me!" In the hallway, Shred looks around dumbly for a moment, before a smile slowly spreads across his brutish face. He draws his spiked flail and starts looking around for someone to bash. Mainline quickly moves past Shred and runs toward where she THINKS Fireclaw may be. "I'm coming! I'm coming!" Although with nothing to arm herself, it's mainly just her evading some Quintissons, who, right now, seem to be more preoccuiped with what the heck's going on. >*SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH*< The makeshift ram of the Conrad pierces through the Inquisito's docking door. The forward half of the shuttle lodges firmly into the side of the ship, and the boarding ramp lowers. Underfoot charges aboard the Quintesson ship, wedging his pincers through the first door he comes to and prying it open, making a way aboard for the rest of The Swarm. "Get back here!" Dealiticus yells. "Stop her!" he orders Shred. Several weapon ports open all over Dealiticus's body -- he may not be physically strong, but he's not without his own defenses. He IS a weapons dealer, after all. "Come back 'ere!" Shred yells, taking off down the hall after Mainline, although it's quickly apparent he's not going to be able to keep up in the parts of the ship flooded with air instead of water. Mainline hears the familiar sear a hull being breached. It's one of the swarm's signature sounds. She pauses, perhaps because she has reached a critical mass of her tolerance for her captors, but she stands in one of the hallways and begins to laugh gleefully, uncontrollably, psychotically. Mainline says, "YES! YES!!" As the Conrad acts like it's trying to make a third ship with the Inquisito without the Inquisito's consent, Fireclaw is right behind Underfoot, through the door as soon as his commander has forced it open. Fireclaw waits for no further orders -- as soon as Sharkticons appear to defend the ship, Fireclaw opens fire, burning his way through all opposition with a glimmer in his molten optics. Once the assault team has moved into the ship and the Sharkticons are thoroughly distracted by the fighting, a mantis and a spider make their way off the Conrad and into the vessel's more covert passages - the air ducts. Every ship has them, it's Galactic Law! Underfoot strides down a hallway as Sharkticons begin to flood in behind the main force. He sneers as he raises his crossbow, "You should have sent Mainline back to us..." A missile of red energy coalesces between the bows and streaks of into the horde... Mainline 's eyes widen, realizing that once the swarm is here - they are unstoppable - even against Quintisson power. "I'm HERE! I'M HERE!" she yells. Shred finally catches up to Mainline. "Light's out, ladycon," he says thickly, and swings a mace at her head. The Swarm may take the ship, but it doesn't mean they're going to get what they want. Dealiticus meanwhile retreats into a lab, and aims his weapons at the door. First one through gets blasted to metal shavings. >> Shred fails its generic combat roll against Mainline. << Mainline 's eyes lock onto Shred with murderous rage. This...bullying, ignorant, craven... She jumps up and grabs a beam above her. Once she grabs it, she uses it to swing her body at Shred, and deliver a drop-kick. >> Mainline strikes Shred with Kick. << Mainline says, "YAHHHH!!!"" Underfoot hears a familiar shout from down a cross-hallway. His optics flare, "Mainlin..." He glances at the horde advancing on the assault team's flank and calls to them, "On your six!" He fires one last shot at the approaching Sharkticons in the hopes of drawing a few of them off, then runs off in search of his sister. As he runs, he grabs the cylinder from his back. Mainline calls out again and again "I'm HERE I'M HERE!" Dealiticus is hiding in a lab on the ship, backed into a corner and ready to fire on anyone who comes into the room. Out in the hall, Shred has been kicked by Mainline, and staggers back. He shakes his head like a dog, and then hefts his mace and moves in to attack again, ignoring the chaos around him in single-minded focus on his task of stopping Mainline's escape. >> Shred misses Mainline with Bash. << Manticide slinks through the ventilator shaft...a whisper...a shadow...like a divine wind moving inexorably towards the ship's environmental central processor unit, his intent to disable it and the ship's gravity with lethal efficiency. Mainline steps back just as the mace is swung. She then sleeks down and swings her leg, intent on tripping Shred. >> Mainline strikes Shred with Kick. << Mainline bears some teeth of her own and yells out to Shred "You pathetic fool!" Mainline yells out in anger "You will NEVER order me around again!" Fireclaw moves through the ship, letting Underfoot focus on freeing Mainline as Fireclaw leads his team of freed gladiators against the thickest concentration of Sharkticons. Fireclaw focuses on killing troops without damaging the ship, since Underfoot has plans for it. After releasing his fury on the first few teams of Sharks he encounters, he begins to hang back, letting his gladiator team do the fighting and evaluating their effectiveness for a report to Underfoot after. Underfoot rounds a corner, with three Sharkticons chasing after him. If it seems he's concerned about being caught, well then you don't know Underfoot very well. One more corner and he spots her - Mainline, squaring off against rather mean-looking Sharkticon. His expression twists into a grin as he pops the latches on the cylinder, "Sister!" He pulls out a long, pointed weapon and tosses Mainline a shiny new rapier... Mainline looks in in pure elation. "Underfoot!" She gets up from tripping Mainline and is about to embrace Underfoot with a hug. but something far more important is given to her...a rapier. She clutches it and turns around, giving a murderous smile at Shred. Shred's thick legs are kicked out from under him, and he hits the ground, blinking dumbly up at Mainline at she screams at him. "Uh... OK," he responds, and transforms into landshark mode, trundling towards her even as Underfoot arrives and tosses her a rapier. As soon as he's in range, he leaps at Mainline, trying to chomp onto her and keep her from escaping. >> Shred misses Mainline with Bite. << Manticide arrives in the auxiliary control room and peers through the vent at the room below, his target in sight. Deftly opening the vent cover and placing it within the vent, he slides down onto the floor and approaches the main console. Mainline clutches the rapier and bears her teeth toward Shred. Finally...after all of this time in captivity, she can truly channel her hatred toward her captors with some genuine, brute-force weaponry. She runs toward Shred with the rapier. >> Mainline strikes Shred with Impale. << Underfoot finally turns to face the Sharkticons charging him, his expression back to his customary frozen sneer. He steps toward the first one as it bears it opens its mouth and reaches right in to grab that lower jaw, fingers literally denting the armor beneath his grip. He takes a step to the side and spins around, smashing the beast into the next Sharkticon in line. Manticide sends a radio transmission. Underfoot sends a radio transmission. Shred urks as he's impaled. His bulbous optics widen, and he gnashes his rows upon rows of teeth. He quickly thrashes and twists, trying to pull the rapier out of Mainline's hand as he turns and lashes his spiked tail at the Swarm engineer. Dealiticus meanwhile bravely hides in a lab, pulling up hallways camera feeds and trying to plot a clear path to his shuttle to get the pit off this ship before it's too late. >> Shred misses Mainline with Tail-Whip. << Mainline sneers with rage as she tries to keep hold of the rapier, but in fact, she tries to lodge the rapier even deeper, creating a painful sensation. Enough to hopefully paralize Shred. >> Mainline strikes Shred with Impale. << Mainline sneers with satisfaction, "See, this is what you're going to do, you bulky, no-brained slag-head, you're going to radio Dealiticus...and find out where he is. You're going to act like you're scared out of your wits and you need to find him. UNDERSTOOD?!" Manticide moves undetected to the main console. Manticide can't help but think it sitting there it looks so innocent...so unsuspecting that it will soon be the nexus of the ship's destruction. He takes a small black box out of subspace and connects it magnetically to the side of the console. As the light on the box quickly turns from red to green, he deftly enters a series of commands into the console. And waits. Microseconds feel like hours and for a brief moment he feels the slight sting of concern that he has failed. But...he has not. Success, a fickle mistress indeed, has rewarded him. As the console's warning displays and alarms have been disabled, no one but Manticide can see it panicking as it begins to shut down without warning, its attempts to correct itself all end in catastrophic failure. The air in the ship begins to grow stale...then seeming to feel somewhat...sticky...as the environmental filtration shuts down and compartment after compartment is flooded uncontrollably with the natural electro static background radiation of space...which the Quintessons had designed their ships specifically to filter for as it drastically hinders their ability to hover or move. Shred grits its teeth as Mainline twists the rapier, doing more damage. However, it merely blinks its large, frog-like optics at Mainline when she makes her demands. "No," it replies at last. "I'm going to bite you, an' keep you from getting away." It turns its head and tries to chomp at Mainline's leg even as she tries to lodge the rapier even deeper. >> Shred misses Mainline with Bite. << For the Quitessons, it is as if they are trying to move through very thick mud. Underfoot steps back as he feels Manticide starting to shut the systems down. He transforms as the third Sharkticon lunges, skittering back on six insect legs. His pincers wave in the air, "Well, this just got interesting..." Metal claws grip the hallway as it lunges back at the Sharkticon, bladed mandibles sheering off a foot. Underfoot's body shifts and collapses inward. His arms fold up over his head and seal together. His legs fold up as his back-rack flips onto his side, completing the transformation into a huge ant. Mainline looks in in worry as the compartments begin to flood. "No! No!" She looks at Underfoot in panic. She then looks back at Shred and does her best to twist the rapier again, intent on ripping Shred's arm clean off. "ARGH!!" >> Mainline strikes Shred with Impale. << Dealiticus sees his chance, and plots out his course. Now is the time to move - he can get to his ship while The Swarm is busy freeing Mainline, and get away Scot free. It might mean the sacrifice of the rest of the Quints aboard the Inquisito, but hey -- at least it'll be fewer potential competitors trying to dislodge him from his spot on the Quintesson council. Dealiticus uses his tentacles to push himself away from the wall -- and suddenly his hoverbeam starts to spark and give out, nearly dropping him to the floor. No! His ten optics widen. What have they done? Deal quickly tries to interface with the ship, trying to force the environmental systems to flood the ship with water -- his last chance to get away. Underfoot calls over to Mainline, "It's all part of the plan! This is Manticide's doing!" As the Sharkticon stumbles, the ant crawls onto its back. He rears back and plunges his mandibles deep into the armored back, right behind the optics, and scissor together. The Sharkticon twitches briefly before its optics go dark. With another twist of the rapier, one of Shred's landshark legs gets torn off completely, forcing the Sharkticon to transform into robot mode again. "Stop that," it insists dumbly, moving slowly as its energon starts running freely from its grievous injuries. "I have to stop you. I have to," it says calmly. It tries to grab Mainline with its hands, moving like it's trying to swim through syrup. >> Shred fails its generic combat roll against Mainline. << Mainline frowns in frustration. "Don't be a fool! You've lost. Your life isn't worth Dealiticus! Do you think HE would sacrifice himself for your dumb aft?! Never. Now tell us where he is!" She moves to stab Shred yet again. >> Mainline strikes Shred with Impale. << Shred is overcome by injuries, losing consciousness. Underfoot sends a radio transmission. Manticide sends a radio transmission. Mainline blinks, and realizes what she just did. She blew the opportunity to have a hostage. She looks over her shoulder and sighs "Sorry..." Every attempt by the environmental computer to correct itself only hastens its demise and that of the ship. Manticide's plan was diabolical as it was simple; create a feedback in which every command was redirected to less essential systems, as for example, telling the ship's automated cleaning cycle to begin. (And the windows are beginning to sparkle!) However, in the real world, the more the computer works, the more power it outputs to nonessential systems which in turn begin to overload with numerous and conflicting commands. The gravity shuts down, leaving those not prepared for the mission to suddenly float about uncontrollably. Sharkticons, which are about as aerodynamic as a schoolbus made of sofas, find it an immensely difficult state of affairs as they are incredibly top heavy and apt to spin. Underfoot crawls down from the dead Sharkticon and over to Mainline, claws gripping the metal of the corridor as the gravity shuts down. "Not to worry," he intones, "Manticide has located the command quarters." The ant's head pivots to glare down the hallway, "Last door on the left." Fireclaw chuckles at the gravity goes out and the Sharkticons start to float freely. He calmly aims and starts lazily shooting them, while at the same time monitoring how well his own troops react to the changing environment -- those most adaptable might be singled out for leadership positions. The water that had started flooding the ship stops flowing and now begins to float unrestrained throughout the ship in pools of sizes varying from droplets to pockets. Dealiticus's various faces frown as gravity gets shut down and his plan of swimming out in liquid is foiled. As he floats he tries to his tentacles to swim through the air instead, with little success. This is BAD. He radios Shred, but his former slave is now floating dead in the hallway, a victim of Mainline. Fear grips him as he lashes out with his tentacles, pulling over cabinets in the lab, trying desperately to find a place to hide before The Swarm come for him. Mainline nods eagerly, following Underfoot. Mainline says, "What are we going to do with the ship? Should we blow it up? Commandeer it? Or leave it for dead?"" Underfoot's mandibles clack together as he skitters down the hall with Mainline, "We're going to commandeer it. Flashfire has some... interesting ideas..." Coming upon the final door, he doesn't hesitate. His pincers rip into the door and tear it open. Underfoot sends a radio transmission. Fireclaw sends a radio transmission. Manticide types a final command into the console, an innocent and unwitting participant in its destruction: "Engage Self-Correction Cycle: Scan for command anomalies and self correct, clear all command data. Engage." Knowing that this will ultimately cause the computer to essentially 'lobotomize' itself, Manticide strokes the console gently on the readout screen and whispers, "It's all done now...you are free to rest...knowing that I have won." He then leaves the room by the door. As he magnetically attaches himself to the wall, moving as deftly as he would in normal gravity, and hoping that perhaps a few of the Sharkticons will be foolish enough to engage him. Mainline goes with Underfoot, but stops for a second to see a communication center. She picks up a communicator and brings it along, following Underfoot. "Attention all inhabitants of this ship - if you are a captive...consider yourself liberated. In a short time, escape hatches will be open. You will be free to leave. You are also free to stay. But if any captive so much as interferes with our operation, you will be killed on sight. This is your final warning." Mainline hands the communicator back to Underfoot. Dealiticus knows an opportunity when he hears it. He leaves his hiding place, and uses his tentacles to pull himself down the hall, moving from doorway to doorway until he reaches the first escape pod. Finding an escaped Autobot inside it already, he shoots the poor ex-prisoner and throws them out in the hall, taking the pod himself and ejecting it to live to deal another day! Mainline frowns, feeling that Manticide may be leaving. But she then turns to Underfoot. She suddenly gives Underfoot a passionate hug. "Thank you...I never stopped believing in all of you, but especially you!" Underfoot transforms to return the embrace, "I never would have abandoned you, sister. None of us would have. And now..." He looks around at the the room they're in, "Now we have weapon that will allow us to challenge Megatron." He brings up the communicator, "Bring the Conrad aboard and repair the dock. Once we're fit for travel, we'll get underway and find a suitable place to strip this ship down. Flashfire has a new design in mind. This vessel will become our Hive."